'This kind of welcoming ceremony really is… quite unique,' Miura Yumiko laughed with a "haha," showing an awkward yet polite smile.
Seeing that the atmosphere seemed to be turning awkward, Bocchi stood frozen in place, her brain trembling.
'D-Did it fail…'
'Even though I practiced a few times last night, it still didn't work out after all?'
'Ugh… I wanna go back into mom's womb…'
At the critical moment, the Gotou family, who could no longer bear to watch, stepped in.
"Ara~ So the Kaito-chan that Hitori's been looking forward to since yesterday is finally here? And this must be… Miura-san, right?"
"Big brother, big sister~"
"Welcome, welcome, come on in~"
Mrs. Gotou, Mr. Gotou, and little Hitori who was holding Jimihen the dog.
The three of them displayed a completely different level of overwhelming social prowess compared to Bocchi-chan, saving the scene and smoothly bringing Kaito and Yumiko into the living room.
Serving up fruit, making conversation, full of enthusiasm, it was almost too much for Yumiko to handle.
In contrast, Kaito was much more composed.
After all, he'd already experienced this kind of hospitality once before.
After exchanging simple greetings with the Gotou couple and playing with little Hitori for a while, he hadn't forgotten today's main task: tutoring.
Mrs. Gotou had already heard about Kaito and Yumiko's visit from her daughter Hitori. She smiled warmly and said, "If that's the case, Kaito-kun and Yumiko-chan, go on up to Hitori's room~ It's the first door to the left at the corner on the second floor."
"Hitori and I will cut up some more fruit and bring it up in a bit."
"Okay."
Kaito nodded and went upstairs with Yumiko. Their figures disappeared around the corner.
Once the two were gone, Mrs. Gotou immediately grabbed her daughter Hitori's arm and pulled her into the kitchen, "Hey Hitori, who exactly is this Miura-san?"
"Miura-san?", Bocchi-chan was a little confused and replied reflexively, "She's my classmate, and also a member of the same club."
"Come on now, who asked you that!"
Mrs. Gotou gave her daughter's little head a disappointed tap, "What I mean is, what's the relationship between your Miura-san and Kaito-kun."
Her daughter was naturally shy and introverted, and it hadn't been easy for her to meet a boy she liked. As her mother, of course she hoped she'd get her wish.
But Miura Yumiko's appearance had set off alarm bells for Mrs. Gotou.
She was glad her daughter could make new friends, sure. But only if those friends didn't become romantic rivals.
It was obvious, this beautiful girl with long, straight golden hair, outgoing and generous, wasn't lacking in any aspect compared to Hitori. If anything, she might even be a notch above.
"Ugh… we-we're just normal friends, I think?"
Bocchi felt a little guilty, "Probably? Maybe?"
Kaito and Miura indeed weren't in any kind of close relationship right now.
But that could change. They looked good standing together, and both were single. If they spent a lot of time together, who knows what might happen.
'If that day really comes…'
Just imagining the two of them holding hands, fingers interlaced, made Bocchi feel a bit sour. Her whole person wilted like a withered bok choy, listless and gloomy.
——
This mood lingered for quite a while, even during tutoring. She was completely out of it.
"Bocchi-chan? Bocchi-chan?", A hand waved in front of the pink-haired girl's lifeless eyes. Miura Yumiko stretched out her voice, "Come—back—to—earth—"
"Umu!", Bocchi shivered and quickly bowed her head, "S-Sorry! I was spacing out…"
"Did you run into some kind of problem?", Yumiko tapped the worksheet on the desk with a slightly troubled look, "You've spaced out six times in the past half hour."
"I-It's all my fault…", Bocchi lowered her head even further, almost burying it in her chest.
Yumiko sighed.
She wasn't trying to scold Bocchi-chan. She just wanted her to talk about whatever problem she was having so they could figure it out together.
But since Bocchi-chan clearly had no intention of opening up, she couldn't exactly force her.
So she simply stood up, "I'll go to the bathroom first, be back in a bit."
Once she left, the only ones left in the room were Kaito and Bocchi.
Looking at the distracted pink-haired girl, Kaito thought for a moment and decided to step in himself.
Although he didn't know what inner conflict the Gotou girl was struggling with, she was clearly in no state to focus on studying.
Since he was already here, instead of wasting time, he might as well do something helpful.
"Hitori, is it okay if I call you that?"
"U-Of course you can!", Little Bocchi's pretty face turned red, and she sat up straight in a flash.
'Kaito-senpai… actually called me by my name?'
'Hehe… hehehe…'
Though she was timid like a useless little bug that liked to hide in dark corners, she could still get carried away and lost in fantasy from others' praise or affection.
'Maybe that is part of Bocchi-chan's unique charm?'
With that thought in mind, Kaito continued, "Hitori, stick your head over, I'll give you a buff."
"Eh-eh-eh?", Little Bocchi blinked, not really understanding what he meant.
But she still obediently scooted over, lowering her head slightly to reveal a neck as pale as a swan's, untouched by sunlight.
Kaito placed his hand about five centimeters above her head. A faint white light began to glow in his palm.
Light Blessing Spell.
A minor spell that could slightly change a person's fortune for a short time, also useful for boosting clarity and dispelling negative energy.
The soft white glow split into sesame-sized particles of light, quickly surging into Bocchi-chan's body.
The girl suddenly felt her mind clear. Questions she didn't understand before started making sense. Like her brain had been replaced with a smarter one.
"Th-this is?"
"A little trick to help improve your grades."
Kaito casually patted her little head and smiled, "How do you feel now?"
"Super good!", Bocchi nodded hard, her blue eyes sparkling.
Not only did she feel much sharper, even her memory seemed a bit better.
If she could stay like this, she could totally reach the middle tier of the class. She wouldn't have to worry about being criticized for bad grades ever again.
Overcome with emotion, the girl stood up in a flash, wanting to bow deeply in thanks.
But maybe because she had been sitting cross-legged for too long, her legs had gone numb. The moment she stood up, they lost all strength.
Then, her whole body toppled forward.
A soft whiff of body wash filled the air.
Kaito reached out instinctively, just holding her out of politeness.
Clack!
"I'm back!", The door opened. Yumiko, standing there, looked at the scene before her.
The jade-like clarity in her emerald-green eyes… faded completely.
[T/N: Lol]
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